The continued miniaturization of electronic devices requires product designers to contend with increasingly demanding design constraints and design requirements. Devices are expected to take up less room while providing more functionality. More functionality, however, typically requires more components in the devices, making fulfillment of size requirements more difficult.
One feature that may be desired in electronic devices is radio-frequency (RF) communication. Devices capable of RF communication generally have antennas or similar components for transmitting and/or receiving electric, magnetic, and/or electromagnetic signals. In a small device, one or more antennas may need to be positioned near, or in proximity to, one or more electrically conductive structures. Such structures may be power or ground planes on a printed circuit board or a metallic layers or chassis to provide structural support to the device (e.g., rigidity). The conductive structure may be a substantially flat surface. Positioning conductive structures near antennas, however, may interfere with the ability of the antenna to transmit and/or receive RF signals.
Another functionality that may be desired in electronic devices is to provide user-perceived output signals (e.g., haptic and/or auditory outputs) to a device user. Similarly, the ability to receive tactile or auditory input (e.g., a button press or a voice command) is another functionality that may be desired in an electronic device. Including components to provide these capabilities in a device, however, may require increasing the size of the device. For example, a button for press inputs or a speaker for auditory output may take up significant surface area and volume in a device.
In view of the shortcomings of current systems and methods for providing vibration transduction and radio-frequency communication in proximity to an electrically conductive structure, improved systems and methods for providing the same are desired.